The road to love (editing!!)

Chapter 31 - Challenge Accepted

“And the guy on the bike?  Who’s he?”

He laughed a soft laugh.  “Oh that’s a reporter from the local paper who caught wind that something was going to happen today.  With all the people noticing the billboard on their way to work this morning, you can’t really blame them.  Personally I think Adam tipped them off about when things were going to happen, making sure to get some free advertising for Mojo out of my spilling out my heart to you today.” 

I smiled up to the man who was looking back at me with so much love; it was making my knees weak.  “I don’t remember any spilling happening… yet?”

“Cheeky, babe.  OK, you wanted me to win you back, so here’s my best shot.”  His face got very serious as he took his next breath and stepped away from me slightly to look me dead in the eyes.  “I read somewhere once that in French you don’t say ‘I miss you’ - you say ‘tu me manques’ which means ‘you are missing from me.’  I love that, because it is exactly how I felt when I realized I’d lost you, maybe for good.  I felt a big piece of me was missing, gone, and I needed to get it back to feel whole again.  Everyone always says love hurts, but that is not true.  Loneliness hurts.  Rejection hurts.  Losing someone hurts.  Everyone gets these things confused with love.  But in reality love is the only thing in this world that covers up all pain and makes someone feel wonderful again.  When I saw you at the awards, I knew it was my chance to try to convince you that I was so, so sorry for hurting you and not giving you a chance to explain, but you were ignoring me like a ‘stop’ sign the whole evening.”

I smiled at the memories of that evening flooding my mind as I waited for him to continue.

“Then seeing you sitting there in the garden, bathed in moonlight… you simply took my breath away and I knew I had to try harder to win you back. ”

I blushed at the memory that his words were showing me.  He had tried ‘hard’ alright.  I had helped him get… I mean try ‘harder’ too.   Luckily Dean was oblivious to where my dirty mind had wandered during his passionate confession.  I heard his voice dip low as he pulled me impossibly closer again and brushed my lips with his own for a simple, sweet kiss that left me wanting more.

“When you gave me your challenge, I knew you loved me.  You wouldn’t have bothered to make me work for it otherwise.  You are a strong woman, Jes.  That is one of the things I admire most about you.  You would have simply walked away and gotten over me at some point if I didn’t matter to you anymore.”

I lifted my hand to his face, holding his cheek while I caressed his full lips with my thumb, marveling at how perfect they were.  I smiled up at him through teary eyes, trying to find my voice to convey my feelings to the man in front of me who just laid his very soul bare to me.  “You’re know,” I began with a grin, “you’re not just some pretty playboy, Dean, hounded by females and tabloids alike who see only the outer you, the facade,  that you let people see.  To me you are truly beautiful, yes both inside and out, because you have let me see into your soul, to the beauty that is there.  I don’t just like you the way you like someone who is a great friend… I love you with every beat of my heart, every breath that I take, every fiber of my being.  I don’t just want to be with you… I need to be with you…  every day, now and forever.  You are my life, Dean.  I wouldn’t cry if you walked away from me now, because crying would simply mean working through the pain and getting over you.  No, if you walked away from me now, after everything we’d gone through to get to this place…  I would die.”

His eyes widened slightly at my words and darkened with a passion I’d never seen in him before, before he leaned down to kiss me with an urgency that took my breath away.  His kiss was both urgent and tender, claiming me as his with every stroke of his tongue against mine, while his hands roamed and warmed me all over, making me suddenly wish for a more private setting than the one we were currently on.  I was oblivious to the people watching us in their cars as they slowly drove past our little public display of affection, to the friends and family chatting excitedly a few feet away, even to the guy with the camera taking pictures of our intimate moment. 

On the side of the road of this busy highway, with the rush-hour traffic flowing behind us, the man who held my heart reluctantly broke the kiss with some heavy breathing, released me from our warm embrace and moved to fish something out of his pocket before going down on his knee before me, making me sob all over again as I pressed my trembling fingers to my mouth in surprise, realizing what was on his mind. 

Opening the little box to display the contents inside, Dean’s love for me was shining in his eyes as he looked up at me.  “Marry me, Jes.  Let us have the rest of our lives together.” 

I didn’t even have to think about it, nodding and smiling brightly at him through my tears, unable to speak the affirmative words due to the emotions clogging my throat at that moment.  Dean smiled back up at me from his lowered position before reaching for my left hand and sliding a beautiful ring onto my trembling finger. 

The ring had a simple setting, just a diamond forming the heart of a rose as white gold was used to form the petals and yellow gold the stem, entwining around the ring.  It would be a reminder of this day, every time I looked at it.

I wrapped my arms around Dean’s shoulders as he stood up smiling, before our family stepped closer to congratulate us.  Sharon was crying as hard as I was and Joe was slapping his brother’s back and claiming godfather rights to our firstborn.

The journalist took a few more shots and notes, before leaving us again.  Thankfully traffic was getting a bit lighter as our group of supporters made their way back to their transport and onto the road for their trips home.  My mom had volunteered to drive my car home and Sharon wanted a ride in the limo, leaving me to be escorted home by my new fiancée.

As I sat next to my dream guy in my dream car with a dreamy ring on my finger and a promise of forever before us, I felt extremely happy and blessed.  This had been quite a journey for Dean and me to reach this point, but it was worth every smile and every tear to be able to find a love as great as ours.

And I will never, ever complain about heavy traffic again.

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A/N - So, there it is...  story basically done!  The billboard thing (similar) really actually happened here last year and I thought it was so sweet! Ok, now my question... should I do an epilogue? Yes? No? At this point I don't know really!!  Thank you for every vote that has kept this story in the rankings and every comment that warmed my heart.  You are a wonderful bunch of readers!!  I am exited to (almost, depending on the yes or no on the epilogue) continue on my other story and start new ones soon.

Wow, this has been an amazing experience for me!!!!